Don’t Be Afraid to Call Your Bankruptcy Attorney

You have done your research. You have shopped around and found a bankruptcy attorney who has extensive experience and a good reputation. Hopefully, the fees are reasonable and his or her personality is compatible with your own.

 

Great work! You are officially a conscientious bankruptcy client and have done all the right things to find the right attorney.

 

Unfortunately for many of you, even though you have put in all the work to find a good attorney, you become afraid to use your attorney for anything but the bare necessities.

 

Although communicating with your attorney might be intimidating to some of you, why not get over the intimidation factor and use your attorney whenever he or she is needed?

 

You shouldn’t have to fear asking questions or looking for guidance from your attorney. It is what you paid your attorney for, and it is one of the main reasons for hiring one in the first place. Do not hesitate to use your attorney before you file and after.

What Should I Expect From My Attorney?

When you hire your attorney, you will not be filing your case immediately. You will have paperwork to fill out and documents to gather. At the same time, your attorney will be working on analyzing your case and preparing your petition for filing.

While all of this preparation is taking place, you are probably still getting contacted by creditors. Once you file your case, they will no longer be allowed to contact you. In the meantime, you should be referring any creditors to your attorney. Why not let your attorney handle them so you don’t have to?

 

If you haven’t already, you will more than likely be able to stop paying on much of your unsecured debt before you file for bankruptcy. Additionally, your attorney might have you sell certain assets that are not protected when you file. The money you make can then be spent, but only on certain items.

Trying to know what not to pay, what to sell, and what to purchase with the money you made can be very complicated. It’s why your attorney went to law school and practiced bankruptcy for years.

If any question comes up about what to do and when, don’t be afraid to simply call your attorney and ask. It is much easier to call for advice before making a decision, than to undue a mistake after you have made it.

As you are filling out your paperwork, you will likely have plenty of questions as to what to write where. Also, you might be unsure of exactly what documentation is needed. As these questions come up, your attorney will be happy to advise you.

After your case is filed, you will probably wonder what your meeting of creditors is going to be like. Your attorney has been to hundreds if not thousands of these meetings. Why not ask about it?

Eventually you will receive your bankruptcy discharge and your case will more or less be over at that point. But there are still issues you may encounter, such as providing your trustee a copy of your tax returns or a random creditor call. Just because your case is essentially over, does not mean you can’t reach out to your attorney to ask questions.